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SPECIFICTION
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fnm vs SDKMAN!

fnm

github.com

SDKMAN!

sdkman.io

Side by side

FigurefnmSDKMAN!
Price fromFree—
Free planYes—
Free trial——
Open source——
WindowsYesYes
macOSYesYes
LinuxYesYes
API—Yes
Plans published10
Spec score · Runtime Version Managers7.9 (#8)7.2 (#22)
Spec score · Development Environment Managers7.8 (#21)7.1 (#45)
Purposefnm is a fast and simple Node.js version manager built in Rust.SDKMAN! manages multiple Software Development Kits on Unix systems.

Plans

fnm

  • fnmFree

fnm pricing →

SDKMAN!

No plans published.

SDKMAN! pricing →

In their own words

fnm

fnm is a free Node.js version manager built in Rust for developers working from a command line or shell. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and is distributed as a single file through installation scripts, package managers, Cargo, or release binaries. It reads `.node-version` and `.nvmrc` files, so projects can specify a Node.js version. Shell setup can also enable automatic version switching when changing directories. The project provides setup instructions for Bash, Zsh, Fish, PowerShell, Windows Command Prompt, and Cmder. Its binary includes completions for Bash, Zsh, Fish, and PowerShell. On macOS and Linux, the installation script requires `curl` and `unzip`. The repository identifies the license as GPL-3.0 and invites pull requests, with issues available for project interaction. No paid plans are listed. The project page reports no published security advisories, while also noting that it has not set up a SECURITY.md file.

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SDKMAN!

SDKMAN! is a command-line interface and API for managing Software Development Kits in the JVM ecosystem. It supports languages and tools including Java, Scala, Kotlin, Groovy, Ant, Gradle, Grails, Maven, SBT, Spark, Spring Boot, and Vert.x. From the CLI, users can install, uninstall, list, inspect, switch, upgrade, and set default SDK versions. A project can record its versions in an .sdkmanrc file, with automatic switching available when entering its directory. Java distributions are obtained through the Foojay DISCO API. SDKMAN! works on macOS and Linux; Windows use requires WSL or MSYS with MinGW, since it does not run natively there. Cygwin is no longer supported. The installer requires curl, zip, and unzip, and works with Bash and ZSH. Its CI mode answers prompts, disables colored output, and turns off self-updates. SDKMAN! is free, open source, and Apache 2.0 licensed. Security updates are provided only for the latest released CLI version. The project says Go, Rust, Node.js, Python, and Ruby toolchains are outside its intended scope.

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